Is It Ever OK to Cry at Work?

Sometimes, however, the cause of your impending melt-down is actually a rightable wrong. If someone gives you a public dressing-down or a colleague points out your innumerable failings in front of your boss, you may have grounds for action. Nonetheless, your primary goal remains the same — don’t lose it in front of your colleagues.

Follow the steps above and get out of your office. Then, once you’ve taken a breather, regained your composure and put some time and space between yourself and the initial offense, you can revisit the situation. Ask to speak with your colleague in private and off-line–and then, with a clear head, explain why his or her treatment was unjust and offer a suggestion of how to handle such mishaps next time around:

“Aaron, I really didn’t appreciate your comments yesterday in front of the team about my handling of the client. If you have an issue with the way I’m handling the account I’d be happy to discuss it in private and off-line.”

As a former Vice President on Wall Street, I don’t know any colleagues who didn’t lose it at one point or another (sometimes often). We all knew the drill, however. We’d get out of 85 Broad as fast as we could. We’d do whatever it took not to let them see us cry and then we’d march back inside the building with our heads held high: onwards and upwards.